Palestinian Authority President to Arab Summit: ‘Israel created an apartheid state’

Amid Washington’s signals to Jerusalem that U.S. President Donald Trump is interested in renewing the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas blames Israel for undermining two-state solution.

While U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to please Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas before the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians are possibly renewed, today (Wednesday), Abbas sent a message of his own to Washington, in which he is accusing Israel of harming the prospect for peace.

“Since 2009, the Israeli government has acted to undermine the two-state solution by increasing settlement building and land confiscation,” Abbas said during the Arab League summit. “In fact, the situation on the ground is one state with two regimes-apartheid. Israel continues its schemes to take control of East Jerusalem, to change its identity and character and not to respect the historical status of the holy sites of Islam and Christianity. Israel uses excuses to justify the continuation of its occupation, such as the demand to recognize it as a Jewish state. How long will this occupation and desecration of our holy places continue?"

The Palestinian leader added that he is working through diplomatic channels to end the occupation. “I agreed with Trump in our conversation three weeks ago,” Abbas continued. “That the American administration will work to make peace between us and the Israelis. On our part we welcomed this, on the basis of the two-state solution and the UN resolutions that will lead to the two states coexisting side by side in security and as good neighbors.”

Yesterday evening, JOL News reported that in recent days, Trump has been vigorously courting after Abbas. Hidden within this courtship is a message from the U.S. to Israel that Trump is very serious about advancing a peace process with the Palestinians in the near future.

Arab League summit Photo credit: Reuters/ Channel 2 News

Meanwhile, sources connected with the settlements claim that not only is there no green light to build settlements, but the US administration has given a ‘yellow card’ regarding the issue of construction. According to these sources, in light of an absence of agreements in the upcoming days, they will demand that the Israeli government agree to disagree with the White House.